Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Three generations of women in the Ferrari family must heal the broken pieces of their lives on a trip of a lifetime through picturesque Italy from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst   Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of her life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenage daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and is arrested for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother's wish that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. She just never expected to face a choice that might change the course of her life. . .   Allegra wants to make her grandmother happy, but she hates the idea of forced time with her mother and vows to fight every step of the ridiculous tour, until a young man on the verge of priesthood begins to show her the power of acceptance, healing, and the heartbreaking complications of love.   Sophia knows her girls are in trouble. A summer filled with the possibility for change is what they all desperately need. Among the ruins of ancient Rome, the small churches of Assisi, and the rolling hills of Tuscany, Sophia hopes to show her girls that the bonds of family are everything, and to remind them that they can always lean on one another, before it's too late.

Why Did I Listen To Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst?

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst is a book that I chose to listen to because contemporary fiction really works well on audio for me. There are some genres that I like to listen to more than others and this is one. Also, totally transparent, I had an eARC from Netgalley that I had not gotten to as quickly as I had hoped. So, picking this up on audio via Libby meant diving in much more sooner than anticipated. Plus, this was a great way to read this while feeding the baby.

What’s The Story Here?

Our Italian Summer follows three generations of women – Sophia, Francesca, and Allegra. Sophia is the mother of Francesca and grandmother of Allegra. She believes that she is dying, so she keeps that a secret, naturally, and decides to spend the summer in Italy with Francesca and Allegra. Sophia hopes to repair the relationship between Francesca and Allegra. Although, Sophia presents it as a way to go back to their roots. Meanwhile, Francesca is a workaholic and owns her own advertising firm. She has to learn to take a step back and focus on her family. Whereas Allegra starting hanging out with a new crowd and got in trouble for possession of weed. There’s a whole lot of healing to wade through, but the journey within Our Italian Summer is worth wading through.

How Did I Like Our Italian Summer?

I genuinely thought this was a good book. I’ll admit that it was quite a departure from the other Probst book I’ve read - The Marriage Bargain. That’s something I really like – when authors try to write totally different things and go outside the comfort zone. Also, I am such a sucker for a multigenerational story. Probst does a great job with each of the three women – Sophia, Francesca, and Allegra. Surprisingly I really liked Francesca’s story – in that she is so career driven and afraid to give other people more responsibility. That’s something I struggle with on occasion too. She really grows while in Italy and I could appreciate reading about that.

How’s The Narration?

Well, if you like audiobooks with multiple narrators, Our Italian Summer is the book for you. The chapters are each from the perspective of one of the three main characters – Allegra, Francesca and Sophia and so each of the main characters have a different narrator. Narrating this audiobook are Cassandra Campbell, Holly Linneman, and Suzanne Toren. Each narrator seemed appropriate for the character they were picked for. It was easy to distinguish between the characters as well. This audiobook is 12 hours and 44 minutes long.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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